Police Targeting ‘Lethal’ iPhone Case

These iPhone cases look like deadly weapons. Shopping for the best case for an iPhone can be a daunting task with so many types and styles to choose from these days. It is even possible to purchase a case that is shaped like a gun.

Police departments across the U.S. are posting pictures on social media websites warning people to either not purchase a gun-shaped iPhone case or to not abuse the ‘look’ of the case. People have been caught on camera carrying the case in their back pockets. The case can easily be mistaken for a real gun when only the grip can be seen or it is dark. This style of iPhone case looks like a deadly weapon and can easily get someone hurt.

The Prosecutor’s Office in Ocean County, New Jersey, posted a picture of one of the gun-shaped iPhone cases on Facebook telling people that this item is not a good idea, nor is it a cool product. The comment continued, reminding people that a police officer has to make a split-second decision at night when, without thinking, someone pulls out this gun-shaped iPhone case while pulled over for a routine traffic violation. Again, this product is a bad idea especially in New Jersey where licensed permit gun owners only carry concealed firearms. A gun carrying violation could send an iPhone carrier to prison for brandishing a deadly weapon.

The 112th Precinct of the New York City Police Department posted similar comments on Twitter. Kids generally carry their cell phones in their back pockets. As a police officer, seeing someone reach for it would automatically register in their mind as a gun, says retired State Trooper and firearms instructor Della Fave. If that phone is drawn in the presence of a police officer, Fave says, the first thing the officer is going to see as it is coming up, will be the trigger guard and the butt of the gun. This can cause deadly situations.

However, these cases have not been pulled from the market and can be purchased on Amazon for $4.99 or in Japan on Japan Trend Shop.com for $49. Amazon is being encouraged to stop selling the gun-shaped iPhone cases through their customer reviews.

The Gun Grip Case brand is sold on the Japan Trend Shop website. It is advertised as an accessory for a shooting game that can be downloaded for the iPhone. It comes in white, black, and pink and they work with the game app to enable the person to interact with a digital version of the gun in the same color on the iPhone 5 screen. In the summary of the product, it states, “Don’t worry, you can’t actually shoot anyone!” It may seem like a harmless accessory, but it could quickly raise public alarm and attract undesired attention, appearing as a deadly weapon.

Picture this: stopping at a convenience store and seeing a customer checking out and reaching for his back pocket to pull out the gun-shaped iPhone case. What would the reaction of anyone be who saw the case at that second? Anything could happen, people could run for cover, the clerk could pull a real gun out from behind the counter, a police officer coming into the store could believe that the iPhone carrier is brandishing a gun and it would most likely cause panic, chaos, and someone may get hurt just by answering their phone.

This gun-shaped case is not a new concept, this has been on the shelf for a couple of years. It is concerning that police have chosen now to come forward, requesting iPhone owners not to purchase these style cases.